


Crazy Comes Home

by ThatWrestlingFanWrites



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, return to the ring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWrestlingFanWrites/pseuds/ThatWrestlingFanWrites
Summary: After a long time away from the sport she loved, AJ Lee decides it's time for a comeback.
Relationships: Bayley | Davina Rose/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black, Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/AJ Lee, Sasha Banks/Roman Reigns
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Epilogue

It was early spring. She always hated the spring. Something about every insect and sinus attacking flower coming back from their icy grave of winter was... stressful? For lack of a better term.

"Mrs. Brooks?"

April kept her head turned to the desolate, rainy layout on the other side of the thick plate of glass that separated her from freedom. Metaphorically and literally. Downtown Chicago always seemed like a post-Armageddon wasteland when it was raining. Minus the gore, fire, and crumbling buildings. It was strangely therapeutic and comforting at times like this. The world seemed so simple, yet so complex all at once.

"April."

Her head finally snapped back to attention at the mention of the birth name she was cursed with. "I prefer AJ." She said with a faux sense of confidence. Truthfully, she never saw herself here in a million years. But, as fate would have it, today's procedures were apparently more than necessary.

"Would you like me to repeat myself?"

AJ blinked. The lawyer had a mustard stain on his tie. Dijon, maybe? "No, sir, I heard you. And, yes, I'm positive this is what I want." Her make-believe confidence couldn't stop the sadness from choking her up and cause her to stumble over her words. Did she want this? Of course not. But after failed attempts at counseling, both with and without Phil, it was clear it just wasn't going to work.

Wrestling was both their lives for so long, and he just wasn't the same without it. The second they gave him a reason, he packed his things and ran for the hills. Was the WWE wrong in some of the things that happened? Yes, of course. Were those things the cause of his depression and hate for the thing he loved? Yes, of course. Did he allow his depression to falter their relationship to the point that AJ set an appointment with a divorce attorney and ask for an end to this? Yes... Of course.

Maybe that's why she found solace in the rain. It reminded her of renewal. Something that was asked of her a few days prior from an old employer. Granted, being a best selling author while going back to her old ways was going to be hard. Maybe the hardest thing she ever did. But she missed it. She wanted it. Needed it. A fresh start with old ties.

The first step was cutting off some old loose ends.

"Will Phil sign the papers? If this is an emergency situation I recommend calling the police."

AJ slowly shook her head. "I'll sign it. Then you can send them over. I'll give him a few days to decide."

Life was rough since Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, was released from the WWE. It started off as a mild depression. Then the reasons for his departure surfaced and caused a deeper sadness. AJ helped him as best as she could while fighting her own demons. Sometimes he'd come home angry at the world. She'd be waiting for him to better his day but his aura would thwart her plans before she even had a chance to try anything. Sure, she ranged from happy to eccentric to sad to borderline psychotic at times. But at least she was happy most days. He was never happy. And it was unfair for him to take it out on her.

* * *

Punk was up in Milwaukee training all day. After his second loss, his MMA career was surely over. But he remained persistent.

AJ knew he'd be home any minute, tired from another day of hard work. She checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She rarely dressed up in anything fancier than jeans and a buttondown, but her man needed extra love in harder times.

Her black skirt and grey t-shirt would do the trick. She sat, crossed legged, on the couch when she heard the lock turn over.

"Hey, baby," She greeted warmly to the exhausted man that shuffled into their home and tossed his keys on the counter. "How'd it go?"

"Shitty." He muttered irritably.

AJ's small smile turned to a frown. "Oh. That's too bad. What happened?"

Punk scoffed, dropping onto the couch beside her. "Fucked up my hand."

Hoping a teasing approach would heighten his mood, AJ rested her chin on his shoulder and giggled softly. "Yeah? Good thing both my hands work."

Punk shrugged her off. "Not know, April. I'm not in the mood for that shit, ok?"

AJ sat back on her heels. "Ok? Do you want me to get you anything?"

Punk tiredly ran his hands over his face a few times. "I just want a few minutes of peace and quiet, ok? Can you manage that?"

Chest tightening, AJ shook her head quickly and hopped from the couch almost as fast. She quickly paced to her bedroom, stripped her nice clothes off for a pair of pajamas, and sat on her bed. This wasn't the first time he'd blown her off. Sometimes it was worse too. He was never physical, thank God, but it still burned deep when he was cold like this. He was still bitter about being fired from WWE, and losing in the UFC, but when would the madness end? He can't keep using this excuse forever. Eventually, he'll have to move past it... But what if he never did? What if he was stuck as the depressed grump she now came home to? What happened to the lively, energetic, charismatic man she fell in love with and married? She wanted a family; Babies, a big yard, several dogs to cuddle with at night.

Ever since he changed... She started having doubts.

As AJ pulled the blankets back to hopefully get a nap, it started to rain.


	2. Chapter 1

The flight was leaving in a few short moments.

AJ sat in the terminal, awaiting for the go ahead to hand the attendant her ticket. She pulled the grey hood of her favorite TapOut hoodie over her head. It was raining still and didn't seem like it was letting up. It wasn't going to delay her flight to Orlando, luckily. AJ really hoped no one recognized her and begged for an autograph or a moment of her time. Not because she hated interacting with fans, but because she needed the brief few hours to herself.

Punk was skeptical as to why AJ needed to leave for Orlando on such short notice, but the second she said it was for a book signing he rolled his eyes and left her alone. AJ felt bad about lying to her husband, but if he knew she was going there to talk with Hunter about a possible return to the ring, he would be absolutely livid. In the odd chance that she was given the chance to return to the ring, Punk would have to know about everything. Then again, if he got the divorce papers before she got back to their home then maybe she won't have to take his anger.

AJ sighed heavily. The lawyer mentioned he'd drop the divorce paperwork off at her home today. Punk was home all day, so he was going to receive them. How he was going to respond, AJ wasn't one hundred percent sure, but she was scared about what might happen. And she hated being scared around her husband all the time.

It was one nasty fight with Punk that drove AJ to call Stephanie. Tears spilling down her rosy cheeks, AJ begged for another chance. Stephanie reminded her that leaving was her choice. Still, Stephanie did feel sympathy for her ex employee and agreed to set up a meeting with Hunter for Thursday afternoon. AJ thanked Stephanie several dozen times before she hung up.

Deciding to distract herself from the drama in her life, AJ slid a pair of headphones over her ears. Music helped a lot when she was nervous. She also found it a good therapeutic method to help with her bipolar disorder. The sweet melody, slow and poetic or fast and angry, often helped distract her brain from the outside world and therefore made her more calm. Currently, AJ was listening to a heavy metal song she loved since she was a small child; She enjoyed all kinds of music.

Setting her playlist to shuffle, AJ noticed the flight attendant signal over to her to begin boarding the plane. AJ waited in line, handed off her ticket, bobbed her head and silently sang along to the tune playing in her headphones, and made her way on the plane to take her seat.

Deciding to catch some sleep, even though it was going to be a short flight, AJ leaned her head back against the headrest and drifted off into slumber.

* * *

"Look, I don't get why they need you in Orlando right away," Punk was agitated. His wife was going to be gone all weekend for some stupid book signing. "Can't they wait until the weekend's over?"

AJ shrugged her shoulders. "They told me there's a big demand for me to appear," She lied almost too easily. "So, ya know me, I can't bail on my fans."

Punk rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever, go to fuckin' Orlando. Have a great time."

AJ sighed; Sighing became a regular thing to her in recent years. She checked her phone for maybe the thirtieth time to make sure she had the meeting time down. "Three thirty, performance center, Orlando," AJ reiterated in her mind. Her suitcase was packed, her headphones were charged (as was her phone), and she packed enough snacks in her case to survive the apocolypse, but she needed to be sure she wasn't starving when she arrived at the PC.

"Ok," AJ announced gleefully. "I'm on my way out," She skipped over to Punk, who was standing at the kitchen sink with a glass of water. "Wish me luck, babe."

Punk remained silent and refused to meet AJ's gaze.

AJ sighed, shrugged her shoulders, then pecked her lips on Punk's cheek. "I'll see ya Monday. Ok?" She frowned; Punk wasn't even acknowledging her presence; Apparently his glass of water was more important. AJ poked Punk in the side. "I love y-"

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" Punk shot back angrily, before slamming his glass down and storming out of the room.

"You." AJ whispered with tears starting to fill her eyes. Inhaling sharply to silence a cry, AJ picked up her bag and left the apartment without another word.

* * *

_BANG BANG BANG_

"Who the fuck is banging on the door?" A lethal combination of loud noises and blinding sunlight almost caused Dean Ambrose to burst into flames, but he wasn't so lucky today.

_BANG BANG BANG_

Dean sat up. "Whoever it is is a fucking dead man."

As Dean's vision slowly returned to him, he realized his bed-mate from the night before was still with him. Another nameless, nobody that happened to be within arms length when he got his drink on. Dean couldn't for the life of him remember what the girl's name was, but judging by the balled up "No Good Dean Ambrose" t-shirt on the floor, she was a fan of his.

_BANG BANG BANG_

"Alright, I'm comin'! Fuck!" Dean yelled to the best of his abilities at the moment; Being hungover was a bitch, and this constant banging was a bitch to deal with.

Standing up slowly, trying to get his head to stop spinning, Dean sauntered to the front door of yet another hotel room he didn't remember renting.

"What?" Dean yelled through the door.

"Dude, it's me, open up!" It was Seth Rollins.

Dean rolled his eyes. Odds are, Seth was here to judge him _again_ for meeting up with some ring rat after a long week on the road.

Dean opened the door. "The world better be ending, mother fucker,"

"Close, we're late," Seth informed his best friend.

Dean squinted against the light coming from the hallway. "For?"

Seth raised his hands at his sides. "What are you talking about? We have a flight in an hour."

"Yeah, at two, it's ten in the morning."

Seth held up his phone to Dean's face. "It's one. What the hell happened to you last night anyway? You disappeared after I got to the bar."

Dean started to respond, but his female friend shuffled past him and out into the hallway. She thanked him for a great night, kissed his cheek, then said goodbye.

"Tell your friends," Dean called after her with a chuckle.

Seth watched the girl until she vanished onto the elevator. He turned back to Dean, arms still extended at his side. "Who the hell was that?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I didn't catch her name."

Seth sighed. "Look, man, I know the divorce was rough..."

"Easy, dude, it wasn't shit, alright?" Dean retreated back into the hotel room. " _She_ left _me_ , ok? Good riddance if you ask me."

It had been three months since Dean divorced his wife, Renee Young. Since then, Dean had been more unruly and reckless with women and alcohol. He always was, but it had gotten to an all time extreme after the break up.

"Fine, if you say so," Seth said. "Just hurry up and pack so we don't miss our flight."

"Dude, the dicks at Delta are gonna make us late anyway. So, relax. Order room service or something."

"Where do you think we are?"

"LA?"

"We're in Memphis."

Dean scratched his head. "Really?"

Seth rolled his eyes and shook his head. Deciding he tortured his Shield brother long enough, Dean reluctantly got dressed and repacked his suitcase.

* * *

Orlando always felt like AJ's long lost home. It was warm, sunny, and just seemed like the best place to be. It was the complete opposite of her childhood home in New Jersey.

"When we had a home, that is." AJ thought with a frown.

The WWE had rented her a car for the weekend; A "good sign", AJ figured. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was efficient and had good gas millage.

"Two fifteen," AJ thought out loud. "K, I'm a little early. Maybe Hunter will want to meet earlier... Or maybe he'll be pissed if I show up before I'm supposed to. Or maybe he emailed me and changed his mind and I am about to make an ass of myself."

AJ shook her head. Overthinking things was a weakness she had. Chances were, Hunter was going to let her down easy; Tell her that there's simply no room for her in the women's division on either brand. AJ sighed. Maybe it was a good idea to get this meeting done faster.


	3. Chapter 2

AJ hadn't been to the Performance Center in years. When the building came into view, she couldn't help but smile to herself. This was the building where her professional wrestling career really started. And maybe where it starts all over again. Walking inside, AJ smiled brighter at the familiar sounds of people taking bumps in the ring. That was something she secretly missed: Falling flat against the canvas, being in pain for less than a second, then hopping up and doing it all over again.

AJ entered through a doorway towards the end of the hallway. Inside the massive room were four rings. AJ smiled; It was just like she remembered it. Several people were spread out through the room and the few rings. AJ recognized a few people she hadn't met before but remembered seeing on tv. For the last few years, when Phil wasn't home, she'd secretly watch the latest episode of RAW or SmackDown just to see what was new with the WWE. Apparently, there was an all women's pay-per-view coming up soon which meant, in the case she was rehired, she may be able to compete there.

"Holy crap," Came a voice from AJ's right. "Are you AJ Lee?" The girl was blonde, roughly the same height as AJ, and wore smart looking glasses. AJ was certain her name was Liv.

AJ shrugged. "Yeah, I was. Long time ago."

Liv slapped her hands together. "Oh, this is so cool. You were one of my favorites. Are you making a comeback?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Hunter. Do you know where he is?"

Liv nodded her head. "For sure, I'll go get him."

AJ watched the excited blonde skip away from where she was standing and round a corner at the opposite end of the hall. Taking a second look around, AJ noticed a few wandering eyes looking in her direction. She wasn't sure what they were saying to each other, but a few Superstars were staring at her then turning and saying something to someone near them.

"Great," AJ thought. "Been here less than ten minutes and they're already talking shit."

Thankfully, Liv returned a moment later with a hulking man following close behind her.

"AJ," Triple H greeted her with a friendly side hug. "Good to see you again, kid. How was your flight?"

AJ shrugged. "I slept through most of it."

Triple H chuckled. "That's nice. Let's have a talk in my office."

As AJ followed her former boss to his office, she caught more side glances from the other Superstars. Some she recognized from either tv or working with them before, but others she'd never seen before. NXT guys, she figured, since she didn't watch a lot of that in her free time. Walking through the halls and seeing some of the old pay-per-view posters brought back memories, both good and bad. What surprised her, and made her stop walking, was the No Way Out promo poster with her and Daniel Bryan on the front.

"One of my personal favorites," Triple H said, apparently noticing she had stopped walking and joined her.

AJ smirked at the poster. "I thought you guys took down old posters with talent that didn't work here anymore."

Triple H shook his head. "No, just ones with Superstars we aren't in good graces with anymore. Like, your husband, for example."

Of fucking course they didn't keep his poster up. Why would they after he left the company, burned every bridge he had in the WWE, and bad mouthed them while AJ was still employed with them? And why shouldn't he? It's not like they took that anger out on her. It's not like the management and wrestlers that disagreed with his actions took their frustration out on her since they knew she'd pass on the message. Wait, no, that's exactly what happened. The year and a half she had with the company before retiring and walking away with dignity like a real champion would, was the absolute worst of her life. She was bullied, harassed, and almost forced into a story line that basically mocked her mental illness. Fuck that, AJ thought when she signed the dotted line that finalized her retirement. Fuck the people that made fun of her. Fuck everyone that made her feel unwelcome. Fuck the stick bitches that mocked her when she brought the women's division back from the dead.

"Fuck Phil," AJ heard herself say out loud, realizing she had begun crying.

Triple H looked at her curiously. "I noticed you weren't wearing a ring. I didn't want to bring it up until we were in my office. I'm sorry you have to go through that."

"He's such an asshole." AJ said bitterly through her tears.

"I agree," Triple H set his hand on one of AJ's small shoulders. "How about we head to my office and we can chat, ok?"

AJ wiped some tears away with the heel of her hand. "Yeah, fine." She muttered before continuing down the corridor.

* * *

Triple H's office was somewhat like what AJ remembered. He had several pictures in a display case along with the original NXT, NXT Women's, and NXT Tag belts. Other than that, it was an ordinary office. It definitely smelled like a normal office, just with a hint of salmon. AJ dry heaved when she began to wonder why an office would smell like regular office and salmon.

"So," Triple H began once he and AJ took a seat. "Stephanie and I have been talking about you ever since you called."

"Good things, I hope," AJ said with a tight lipped smile.

"Mostly, yes," Triple H cleared his throat; AJ internally sighed, since that body cue meant she was in trouble. "Since your departure, things have changed around here. The women's rosters are bigger. The women are taken more seriously. And it's mostly thanks to you and your effort to be seen as an equal to the guys."

"But..." AJ said.

"That's just the thing. We wouldn't know where to put you on either roster. RAW has Ronda, Sasha, and Alexa while SmackDown has Charlotte, Becky, and Naomi. We have up and comers on either side, and it wouldn't make much sense to put you in NXT."

AJ could already feel herself getting choked up. Great, she just flew a thousand miles to get shot down. Fantastic. Now she got to go home and feel the wrath of her soon to be ex-husband and his several opinions on the divorce. God, what the fuck happened in her life that she ruined a chance at wrestling. Of all things, the one thing she's good at is impossible to get back into.

"However..." Triple H continued.

AJ sat up in her seat, eager to hear what Triple H had in mind.

"Since you are a legend in your own right, and since the WWE Universe has been demanding a return from you, Stephanie and I have been bouncing ideas off of each other and seem to have found a common ground."

"Will you just fucking tell me already?" AJ mentally screamed while keeping the same smile on her face.

"We would like for you to be the on-screen commissioner for Monday Night RAW starting the Monday after Evolution. You won't even make an appearance at the pay-per-view, that's how much we want to keep this under wraps. Then, the next night, Stephanie will be fired and you'll replace her, hopefully to a loud ovation."

"On screen authority again? Greeeeat." AJ thought.

"Of course, Stephanie and Vince will still run RAW, while Shane and I run SmackDown, but you will be the on-screen persona."

"Right, I get it," AJ said, actually starting to feel peace for the first time that day. This was it, the return she needed and wanted more than anything in her life. She was free from Punk, and Chicago, and feeling sad all the damn time. "Where do I sign?" She asked cheerfully.

"You're open to the idea?" Triple H asked.

AJ smiled, genuinely this time, and nodded her head. "Absolutely."


	4. Chapter 3

AJ's first time back in the ring couldn't have gone any better. The day after her meeting with Triple H, AJ arrived at the PC again. This time, she would be in the ring for the first time in three years. She was nervous but determined. If she could prove she could still go, then maybe Triple H would let her have a match again.

Her first bump in three years felt like returning home after a long month on the road. She hit the mat hard with enough force to make a loud boom, but the smile on her face made it seem like the fall had no effect on her at all.

"That was great. Keep the smile off your face next time and it's perfect." Matt Bloom, head trainer and the former Prince Albert, told AJ after she got up.

AJ nodded her head. "Right. No smile." She stepped back into the corner again. She stepped forward, dropped to her back, and landed safely without a big dumb grin on her face.

Matt nodded his head. "Perfect. You haven't lost a step. With bumps anyway," He turned to a group of women outside the ring. "Peyton, come on in."

AJ watched as one of the four women broke away from the group and entered the ring. She was pretty, AJ admitted. Not as pretty as some other girls, but she was still attractive.

"AJ, this is Peyton Royce," Matt said. "She's on SmackDown Live. She's one of the safer workers I know, so she should be a good first sparring partner for today."

Skipping introductions, AJ quickly attempted a school boy roll-up. Peyton kicked out after a two count. AJ fully expected Peyton to come at her for jumping right into the sparring, but the black haired woman stayed seated on the canvas and began laughing.

"I love it," Peyton said in a thick Australian accent. "I love the enthusiasm. Brilliant, AJ."

AJ, not used to people being so friendly after a sneak attack, nodded her head slowly. "Right... Thanks?"

Peyton backed into the corner opposite AJ. "How about some proper sparring now?"

"Oh, fuck yeah," AJ thought with a smirk.

The two women locked up in the center of the ring. Peyton called for a headlock. After being taken into the hold, AJ carefully stepped pushed her foot onto the back of Peyton's knee. Once she knelt, AJ ducked behind Peyton. She locked in a pretty secure hammerlock, but she remembered to let loose a little bit so she didn't actually wrench on Peyton's arm. Peyton stood back up. She called for a snapmare.

As Peyton reached back for AJ's head, AJ reminded herself not to be scared to do a flip bump. It was never her favorite thing to do her first go around at wrestling. But now making a comeback in her early thirties with a surgically reconstructed back, maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time around.

AJ planted her feet and jumped forward. She flipped perfectly and landed on her ass with a loud bang.

"Yeah, not so bad," AJ thought, feeling almost no pain from her landing.

Peyton finished off the sequence with a chin lock. Matt told the girl's to break up.

"Good work," Matt told AJ. "I can see you're a little nervous. That's perfectly ok when making a comeback. Especially since you haven't been taking bumps or wrestling in three years."

"You think I'll be ok?" AJ asked.

Matt nodded his head. "Absolutely. From what Hunter tells me, you won't be wrestling anytime soon. But in the odd chance you get a match, you'll be fine."

AJ nodded her head. With her brain screaming at her to jump up and down and cheer until her voice gave out, AJ remained a professional demeanor. Wrestling was good. Bumps still hurt like hell but she knew she'd live. And the biggest plus of all was not having to go back to Chicago anytime soon. Maybe to pack her things and tell her dogs she loved them before ultimately leaving them with her shitbag soon-to-be ex-husband. Everything was going to be ok again, and that made AJ smile. Physically smile. And she didn't care if it meant extra reps of cardio from Matt if he caught her doing it. AJ Lee is back, bitches.

"Wanna keep going?" Peyton asked.

AJ nodded her head. "Hell yeah. Let's do it."

* * *

Sore. That was all AJ could think right now. Her return to in-ring sparring went great. Moves were swift. Bumps hurt, but they always did. That was fine. Then the workout came. She ran on the treadmill for close to an hour. She lifted weight heavier than her dogs for the first time in ages. And she was made to do agility drills she was certain, at least before today, were impossible for her to complete. But she did it. And did she ever regret it.

Body burning, AJ flopped face first onto her bed in her hotel room. If being a returning Superstar wasn't enough, a complimentary hotel room for the weekend she was there was a pretty cool thing. Her next main goal, if her body would allow it, was a nice hot shower. That was the best thing after a body breaking workout.

There was a sharp knock at the door. "House keeping!"

AJ sat up and smiled. She knew that British accent anywhere. "With that sexy voice? I call bullshit!"

There was a laugh on the other side of the door. "Ok, sorry, I'm not a maid. Complimentary call girl service! Open up!"

AJ laughed. She ran to the door and threw it open.

In came her best friend Paige. Paige threw her arms around the shorter woman; She lifted her into the air until AJ ordered her to put her back down.

"Oh my God, baby girl, it's so good to see you," Paige said, not wanting to break away from AJ.

AJ laughed. "I know. I've missed you so much, Paige."

Paige broke the hug. "I do hate you for not tellin' me you were back in town."

"How was I supposed to know you were in Orlando? Don't you travel with SmackDown?" AJ asked.

"Not on a Thursday, babe," Paige said. "I'm here until Tuesday."

AJ nodded her head. "Of course. What the fuck was I thinking?"

Paige sat herself and AJ on the bed. "You have to tell me what's been goin' on."

AJ's chest tightened. "Everything?"

Paige grinned and nodded her head. "Yeah, everything."

* * *

AJ's anxiety only grew more and more as the silence continued. Paige sat on the hotel bad, eyes widened, mouth partially agape, staring silently at her best friend. AJ told Paige everything. As in EVERYTHING. The drama with Punk. Her return to WWE. The divorce papers being sent to her home. The lack of sexual contact in recent months. That may have been too much, AJ thought, but Paige said everything.

AJ chuckled nervously. "Don't be so eager to say something back."

Paige blinked. "No, I'm sorry, AJ," She sighed. "I just... That's a lot of heavy shit you have to carry."

AJ nodded her head. "Tell me about it."

Paige sighed again. She reached out her arms, which made AJ flinch, but Paige managed to pull her in for a gentle embrace.

"Good heavens, baby girl, I don't know how you could be so strong." Paige commented.

AJ felt tears well up in her eyes. But, not wanting Paige to see her cry, AJ blinked her eyes until the tears went away.

"You taught me some things about it," AJ told her friend. "And Kaitlyn, but I have no idea where she is. She barely calls me anymore. And when she does they're like two minutes."

"Everyone's busy," Paige said. "We all have shit to do. But, especially since you're back, you and I can hang out whenever you want. Mama can make all the pain go away."

AJ smirked. "I don't think you can make _all_ my pain go away."

Paige laughed, making AJ join her. "No, maybe not that," The British woman with her laughter. "I mean other things. There's nothing a good pint couldn't fix."

"Ugh, tell me about it," AJ said with a roll of her eyes. "Phil NEVER lets me have alcohol. EVER. We had friggin' Pepsi our wedding day. I begged for sparkling champagne and he acted like I told him I was leaving him and taking the dogs."

"Well, now you are leaving but he keeps the dogs." Paige said.

AJ scoffed. "The fuck he is. The first chance I get, I'm getting all of my babies on a plane and back with me. He never takes care of them. Only when I scream at him to do it."

"How does he take that?" Paige asked.

AJ sat upright. She stuck out her chest and flexed her arms. Speaking in an exaggerated deep voice, AJ said: "Hey, April, you shouldn't speak to your husband like that. It isn't very lady like. You're scaring the dogs. Stop throwing shit at me."

Paige laughed again, twice as hard. "That is perfect. Oh, I'm so glad you're leaving that wanker."

AJ shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. Me too, I guess. Part of me wishes we could fix things. But... Heaven knows I tried so many times."

Paige laid a sympathetic hand on AJ's shoulder. "You did you're best. If he isn't the one, then he isn't the one. I've been engaged three times now. I know what it feels like to think a guy is the one and find out he really isn't. You'll find Mr Right. He might be out there, drinking a cup of coffee and reading Crazy is my Superpower in some Starbucks in Greensboro."

"So my soulmate is a hipster? Thanks, Paige." AJ sarcastically said.

Paige chuckled. "You know what I mean. Until then, or when you get sick of me, I'll be right here."

AJ smiled, feeling more relief wash over her. "Thanks. Really. You don't know how much it means to me that I told you everything and you were perfectly ok with it."

"Anytime, baby girl," Paige clapped her hands together. "So, since you're here all weekend, how about a night out?"

AJ cringed. "Seriously? Do you even know me?"

Paige snickered. "Yes, I know you'd rather chew your own foot off. But a night out will do you good. Couple drinks, some good people," Paige playfully nudged AJ with her elbow. "Maybe get some action for you? You said it's been a while."

AJ rolled her eyes. "Right, because I'd put out for a ring rat. Plus, I'm still technically married."

"Or I could just do it." Paige suggested. "Trust me. Lay back, kick those Henley's off, and I'll make you forget all about poor Phillip."

"As much as I would love that," AJ replied sarcastically. "I don't do the dirty with chicks. Besides, I just got done with a workout. My hands off area is all sweaty."

"You think a sweaty cunt will stop me?" Paige asked.

AJ swatted Paige on the shoulder, playfully. "Gross, dude. Anyway, I'm taking a hot shower. Maybe... I'll go out with you and whoever."

Paige squealed in delight. "Yes! Awesome. I'll plan your outfit. Don't worry, I'll make it very hot but very AJ at the same time."

AJ groaned dramatically, getting a laugh from Paige. She got off the bed and slipped into the bathroom.

AJ struggled slightly to pull off her workout clothes due to her strenuous workout. Finally, she pulled off all clothing and tossed them into a heap beside the sink.

AJ winked at herself in the mirror. "Sweet tits, girl," She tilted her head, eyeing her midsection. "Rock hard killer abs. I so totally still got it."

As AJ turned the shower on, her phone began ringing. It was an unknown number, which made AJ hesitate for a second, but she answered anyway.

"Yeah?" AJ asked.

"Hey, it's me," It was Phil; AJ's heart sank. "Just had an interesting conversation with a divorce attorney... I think we should have a quick chat."


End file.
